Sep 30 2010
A new high-performance packaging material is cutting costs for shippers of fragile products, including semi-conductors, medical equipment, veterinary and medical supplies, lighting fixtures, dinnerware and office supplies.
The paperboard pyramids from ExpandOS™ are 100% recyclable and made from post-industrial waste paper, which has earned ExpandOS™ the endorsement of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
"Here at Ten Strawberry Street, we ship ceramic dinnerware to some of the largest retailers in the nation,” said Gregg Sciez, distribution manager. “Reducing breakage was important to keep our customers happy. Since switching to ExpandOS, our breakage rate was cut in half. Our employees enjoy the ergonomic design of the machines and our customers are delighted we are not using petroleum-based peanuts and bubble wrap or wadded kraft paper that would end up in landfills or offer a lack of protection.”
ExpandOS, which stands for “Expand On-Site”, is delivered to shippers in pre-cut bundles of thin paperboard that contain 38 “fingers” designed to cling together using all three sides of the pyramid. A machine called the Expander™ cuts each row apart and folds them into highly-engineered interlocking and protective pyramids that fall by gravity into packing boxes, dramatically reducing packing time compared to foam-in-place and other options. Each Expander can produce up to 1,000 cubic feet of material in a typical shift.
The patented ExpandOS system, invented by FoldedPak™, has been engineered to provide maximum protection. The pyramids are settled during packing to protect the product, absorb shock and eliminate migration during shipment. The coated paperboard can be stamped with the customer’s logo.
A California-based lighting fixture manufacturer switched to ExpandOS from chemical foam, which was expensive, labor-intensive and not environmentally friendly. During a four-week test with 2,500 outbound packages, there was zero reported damage. Packing time fell one-third, from 60 to 40 seconds per box. Cost of packing material fell from $1.58 to $1.34 per box.
“ExpandOS has a very low carbon footprint when compared to other packaging materials,” said Jeff Boothman, president of the company. “The product is made from 100% post-industrial waste. Carbon is only generated through energy used to die cut sheets of ExpandOS pyramids.”
Each 1,000 pounds of post industrial waste ExpandOS uses averts the need to re-pulp the paper, saving 888 lb of CO2 that would otherwise be produced in the re-pulping process. That’s the equivalent of taking 3.9 cars off the road for a week
The Expander unit comes on a movable base for flexible use and runs on a standard wall outlet. Because the pyramids are expanded on site, storage requirements are typically 1/25 the space needed for pre-expanded materials.